Austin Cop's Plea Deal On Hold

February 06, 1997|By Andrew Martin, Tribune Staff Writer.

The defense attorney and federal prosecutors arrived in court Wednesday expecting to seal a plea agreement with Gregory Crittleton, one of seven officers in Chicago's Austin Police District indicted on corruption charges.

The only problem was, Crittleton changed his mind.

After a 45-minute delay, Crittleton's attorney, Stephen Broussard, said a scheduled court hearing would be canceled because his client wasn't ready to sign the plea agreement.

The reason, Broussard said, was Crittleton needed more time to "reflect."

"In terms of changing his mind, I wouldn't say that," he said. "He hasn't completely made up his mind . . . He needs a little time to mull over things."

Broussard declined to detail the contents of the plea agreement, except to say Crittleton would have served 5 years to 10 years in prison in exchange for his cooperation.

Federal prosecutors declined to comment afterwards.

Had Crittleton, 31, approved the plea agreement, he would have become the second member of the Austin tactical team to plead guilty to charges of robbing and extorting undercover agents who were posing as drug dealers.

Late last month, federal prosecutors announced that Lennon Shields, 29, had agreed to plead guilty and testify against his former colleagues. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommend that Shields be sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Crittleton is accused of participating in a Nov. 24 robbery with two other officers, Edward "Pacman" Jackson and Cornelius "Peanut" Tripp. According to federal prosecutors, the officers stole $25,000 in cash and jewelry from an apartment they believed was used by a drug dealer as a "safe house." Instead, the "safe house" was set up by undercover agents.

Afterwards, Jackson allegedly gave Tripp and Crittleton $5,000 each and the informant who tipped them $5,000 and a gold chain.